The bloodletting at Microsoft continues, as the software behemoth said Wednesday it would eliminate 800 jobs in addition to the 5,000 positions it has already pared this year.
A Microsoft spokesman said the cuts will be broadly "spread across multiple businesses and locations," and added that the company will continue to hire in …

Windows 7 - so stable less coders will be required

@ Jon999

Microsoft is known for having a very large contingent of non-US workers working under the HIB Visa program. How many of those lost their jobs?

It is a myth that "deadwood" is what is cut during a layoff. Anybody who doesn't do their job can be documented out of it. The problem companies have with that method of getting rid of people is that the bosses buddy is probably doing even worse. Hence the documentation problem. But during a layoff the bosses buddy can be assigned to a special project hence protecting him.

I have worked in industry close to 40 years and seen many layoffs. Normally the ones who get laid off are the ones who have complained about their manager.

Even if I were to accept that the people who lost their jobs were deadwood, as much crap as Microsoft has put out over the years they have a lot more dead wood than 800 people.

@ Charles Manning

"Try plotting MSFT vs NASDAQ for the last 5 years. MSFT is just a corpse floating in the water."

MSFT is a few percent behind the NASDAQ, which ain't great, but CEOs have survived far, far worse. My NASDAQ-listed ex-employer is 38% down vs the NASDAQ and has had three years of breakeven at best, more often losses. Yet the highly political, bigoted and vindictive CEO is still there and seems pretty secure.

Monkeyboy's performance is stellar by comparison, so he's there as long as he wants to be.